We’ve all had trouble sleeping, haven’t we? Thoughts that consume our minds and invade our dreams that we can’t shift…well, unfortunately for Robert Adetuyi’s latest feature film, you won’t have trouble sleeping whilst watching. The ‘Stomp the Yard’ and ‘Honey: Rise up and Dance’ director fails to deliver here; resulting in a distinctively average thriller come dark comedy that certainly won’t plague your mind and keep you up at night.
Curiously somber piano music emerges, setting the tone immediately – especially when we see Billy Zane’s Charles enter the scene. Despite his soothing tones, and romantic demeanor something is awry. The lighting shifts, there is blood down one side of his face and an intimate moment between a seemingly happily married couple quickly turns into something sinister. The clichéd, it-was-all-a-nightmare tangent invades the deliberately disorientating scene wherein we are given the backstory in a somewhat patronising manner.
Curiously somber piano music emerges, setting the tone immediately – especially when we see Billy Zane’s Charles enter the scene. Despite his soothing tones, and romantic demeanor something is awry. The lighting shifts, there is blood down one side of his face and an intimate moment between a seemingly happily married couple quickly turns into something sinister. The clichéd, it-was-all-a-nightmare tangent invades the deliberately disorientating scene wherein we are given the backstory in a somewhat patronising manner.
- 2/21/2022
- by Gloria Daniels-Moss
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Tormented by the memories of her late-husband's suicide, Vanessa's life is further complicated by the arrival of her step-son, who will soon inherit all of his father's wealth. The long hibernating thriller, Trouble Sleeping, was finally released this week. The film from writer/director Robert Adetuyi starred Billy Zane and Vanessa Angel, among others. We have been sent an exclusive clip to share with you today, in hopes that it might pique your interest. Too bad about that mink coat. ...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/18/2022
- Screen Anarchy
"My wife is not your patient, Doctor, Justin is." An official trailer has debuted for this indie psychological thriller titled Trouble Sleeping, made by the Canadian filmmaker Robert Adetuyi. This has taken years to finally get a release after first unveiling in 2018, but perhaps there's a reason it has taken so long. Just take a look at the trailer below. Tormented by the memories of her late-husband's suicide, a woman's life is further complicated by the arrival of her stepson, who apparently will soon inherit all of his father's wealth. But something else is amiss. The film stars Vanessa Angel, Billy Zane, Rick Otto, Ingrid Eskeland, Kale Clauson, and Fred Stoller. This film looks especially forgettable and bland, it's so obvious what's going on from this trailer you can probably figure out exactly how it's going to end. Skip this one - it's not worth it. Here's the official trailer...
- 2/8/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: International sales and production company Number 11 Entertainment has set “Queen of Mean” Mma fighter Miriam Nakamoto as lead in action-romance movie Wildwood.
Nakamoto — in her feature debut — will play a young woman on the run from her mother and a pair of hired killers who stumbles into a small town where she’s mistaken for a local girl who mysteriously vanished years earlier.
The film will be directed by Delany Bishop (Terror Eyes) and was written by screenwriter and novelist Cara Vescio, best known for her novel series, Wasted. Keith Wells is producing for Number 11 Entertainment, along with Michelle Seañez, with Number 11 handling world sales.
The pic is scheduled to shoot later this year. Number 11 will be introducing the project to buyers at the upcoming Marché du Film in Cannes.
Dubbed “The Queen of Mean” by her fans, Nakamoto is an eight-time Muay Thai world champion and an Mma fighter,...
Nakamoto — in her feature debut — will play a young woman on the run from her mother and a pair of hired killers who stumbles into a small town where she’s mistaken for a local girl who mysteriously vanished years earlier.
The film will be directed by Delany Bishop (Terror Eyes) and was written by screenwriter and novelist Cara Vescio, best known for her novel series, Wasted. Keith Wells is producing for Number 11 Entertainment, along with Michelle Seañez, with Number 11 handling world sales.
The pic is scheduled to shoot later this year. Number 11 will be introducing the project to buyers at the upcoming Marché du Film in Cannes.
Dubbed “The Queen of Mean” by her fans, Nakamoto is an eight-time Muay Thai world champion and an Mma fighter,...
- 7/1/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
While moviegoers cope with being shut indoors, HBO Max has a film that could have you feeling even more stir-crazy. “Locked Down” sequesters audiences for nearly two hours with an unhappy couple (played by Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor), who vent for a time, before hatching a plan to steal a huge diamond from Harrods. While hardly the antidote for confinement, it’s a creative response to the limitations Covid has placed on the world — which extends to how the film was shot, with big names like Ben Stiller and Ben Kingsley supplying cameos via Zoom.
With plenty of indoor time ahead on this long holiday weekend, why not fill it with a new movie or two? Amazon has timed the Prime Video release of Regina King’s acclaimed “One Night in Miami…” to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The film — which imagines a 1964 reunion of old friends Cassius Clay,...
With plenty of indoor time ahead on this long holiday weekend, why not fill it with a new movie or two? Amazon has timed the Prime Video release of Regina King’s acclaimed “One Night in Miami…” to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The film — which imagines a 1964 reunion of old friends Cassius Clay,...
- 1/16/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Early January is rarely a time for exciting new releases, although this year is slightly different, as the Oscar window has shifted and streaming services offer up their awards contenders. This week, “Herself” and “Pieces of a Woman” make their way from limited theatrical runs to Amazon and Netflix, respectively. And over at Film Movement, Latvian foreign language submission “Blizzard of Souls” kicks off a weekly series of movies competing for the international feature Oscar.
Otherwise, the release calendar reflects the usual January doldrums, made all the more tepid by the lack of schlock horror movies and YA romantic weepies. It won’t surprise many to learn that theatrical releases are slim, although those willing to risk it can watch “CSI” veteran Gary Dourdan play an American war hero tasked with rescuing his pregnant wife from terrorists. By all reports, you don’t need to see this one to guess how it goes.
Otherwise, the release calendar reflects the usual January doldrums, made all the more tepid by the lack of schlock horror movies and YA romantic weepies. It won’t surprise many to learn that theatrical releases are slim, although those willing to risk it can watch “CSI” veteran Gary Dourdan play an American war hero tasked with rescuing his pregnant wife from terrorists. By all reports, you don’t need to see this one to guess how it goes.
- 1/8/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
After “Hamilton” made an earwormy global phenomenon from the life story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, no chapter of history can be declared too dour for spangly, heart-on-sleeve musical treatment — though the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 is still a pretty unlikely candidate. The stage roots of “Stand!” go back further than Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash: It’s been 15 years since it first hit Canadian stages under the title “Strike!,” and the eventual film adaptation has the air of a patient, resourceful labor of love, while also showing why the material wasn’t more immediately rushed before cameras. Earnest and plainly felt, this grafting of a cross-cultural romance onto the story of a critical turning point in Canadian workers’ rights doesn’t want for incident and emotional commitment, but Robert Adetuyi’s film does fall a little short on showmanship.
Having bowed on home soil in 2019, “Stand!” received a one-day engagement in U.
Having bowed on home soil in 2019, “Stand!” received a one-day engagement in U.
- 1/1/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
"The world changes one heart at a time." Catch the official US trailer for a movie musical version of a stage show about a workers revolt called Stand!, directed by Canadian filmmaker Robert Adetuyi. This Canadian musical is actually about America and a workers strike in 1919. The music, lyrics and score are by Danny Schur (of Made In Winnipeg: The Terry Sawchuk Origin Story) and the film features Lisa Bell’s show-stopping performance of the protest song "Stand!" An immigrant Romeo & Juliet battle for love and a better life during a time of social upheaval, in this musical is set against the true story of the general worker strikes of 1919. The film stars Marshall Williams, Laura Wiggins, Lisa Bell, Gregg Henry, Erik Athavale, Paul Essiembre, and Hayley Sales. This looks like a good story about the workers rising up and fighting back against vile greed and wealth. Maybe it's time we do this yet again!
- 11/6/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Stars: Vivica A. Fox, Christine Prosperi, Jordan Rodrigues, Sophie Vavasseur, Gio Lodge-o’Meally, Stephan Benson | Written by Alyson Fouse | Directed by Robert Adetuyi
After being challenged to a global cheerleading showdown by an ambitious new rival, national champion Destiny (Prosperi) and her team set out to compete in a virtual cheerleading competition organised by the Cheer Goddess (Fox). Taking on squads from all over the world, Destiny is pushed to the limit as she attempts to lead her team to glory.
I know what you’re thinking: “There’s Another Bring It On movie?” Apparently there is… This time round we’re scrapping the bottom of the proverbial story barrel, once again rehashing concepts from other movies to create a story which screams been-there-done-that. Gone is the charisma and charm of the early films and in comes more of a Disney Channel level of storytelling and acting, with an obsession...
After being challenged to a global cheerleading showdown by an ambitious new rival, national champion Destiny (Prosperi) and her team set out to compete in a virtual cheerleading competition organised by the Cheer Goddess (Fox). Taking on squads from all over the world, Destiny is pushed to the limit as she attempts to lead her team to glory.
I know what you’re thinking: “There’s Another Bring It On movie?” Apparently there is… This time round we’re scrapping the bottom of the proverbial story barrel, once again rehashing concepts from other movies to create a story which screams been-there-done-that. Gone is the charisma and charm of the early films and in comes more of a Disney Channel level of storytelling and acting, with an obsession...
- 10/23/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Delivering more rivalry, fierceness and cheer puns like never before, the Bring it On franchise goes global for the very first time in the high energy sixth installment, Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack, debuting on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD and OnDemand on August 29, 2017 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Beacon Pictures. Filled with all-new stunts and choreography, Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack features 19 squads from around the globe, including teams from Australia, U.K., Germany and France, in addition to the Northern Elite Gymnastics and Cheer team from the United States. The film is the perfect hybrid of cheerleading and dance for a non-stop worldwide showdown.
Now you can own Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack on Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has four copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie about cheerleaders? (mine is Satan’S Cheerleaders!
Now you can own Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack on Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has four copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie about cheerleaders? (mine is Satan’S Cheerleaders!
- 8/29/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Delivering more rivalry, fierceness and cheer puns like never before, the Bring it On franchise goes global for the very first time in the high energy sixth installment, Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack, debuting on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD and OnDemand on August 29, 2017 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Beacon Pictures. Filled with all-new stunts and choreography, Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack features 19 squads from around the globe, including teams from Australia, U.K., Germany and France, in addition to the Northern Elite Gymnastics and Cheer team from the United States. The film is the perfect hybrid of cheerleading and dance for a non-stop worldwide showdown.
The film stars Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill, Independence Day) along with rising talent, Cristine Prosperi (“Degrassi: The Next Generation,” Betrayed), Jordan Rodrigues (“The Fosters,” “Dance Academy”), Sophie Vavasseur (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Evelyn), and Gia Ré (“Jinx,” “Rocket’s Island”), the film...
The film stars Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill, Independence Day) along with rising talent, Cristine Prosperi (“Degrassi: The Next Generation,” Betrayed), Jordan Rodrigues (“The Fosters,” “Dance Academy”), Sophie Vavasseur (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Evelyn), and Gia Ré (“Jinx,” “Rocket’s Island”), the film...
- 8/18/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Stomp the Yard” filmmaker Robert Adetuyi has released the first trailer for the darkly comedic thriller “Trouble Sleeping,” which stars Billy Zane and Vanessa Angel. The film is a Fex/Adetuyi Production that was produced by Greg McKay and Roger Fex. It was financed independently, and all domestic and foreign rights are available. “Trouble Sleeping” is described as a psychological thriller with a twisted sense of humor in the vein of the Coen brothers’ movies. Also Read: Billy Zane Thinks 'Heartbroken' Zayn Malik Tweets Are for Him in Hilarious Funny or Die Short (Video) Tormented by the memories of her late-husband’s suicide,...
- 10/26/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has bought U.S. rights to the inner-city dance film "Beat the World." The story focuses on young hip-hop crews from Canada, Germany, Japan, Brazil and the U.S. as they arrive in Detroit for an international dance championship called Beat the World. According to Variety, the film was written and directed by Robert Adetuyi. Adetuyi made his directing debut with the 2000 film "Turn It Up" and also wrote 2007.s "Stomp the Yard."The film blends several types of hip-hop and parkour (also known as free running), and features a global cast of hip-hop dancers and musical artists, including the Flying Steps and the Pink Ladies.The film was shot in Toronto and on location in Berlin,...
- 2/3/2010
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
For this week, Telefilm Canada had announced the 27 films that it will support for 2010. Among these films, 17 will be in English. Of course, rest assured: some of the films will have a commercial nature and some will be low-budget independent films. The following is the list of films.
Beat the World (Ontario & Nunavut Region; Btw Productions Inc.; Executive Producers: Alfons Adetuyi, Amos Adetuyi and Robert Adetuyi; Writer/Director: Robert Adetuyi; Distributor: E1 Films Canada Inc.; Telefilm investment: $3.2 million) takes a look at three dance crews - one Latin American, one European and one from Windsor, Ontario – as they prepare to do battle at the international Beat the World competition in Detroit. Along the way, they struggle with personal issues ranging from gambling debt, bad break-ups and their own egos. In the final showdown to become world champions lifelong hopes, dreams and even lives, are at stake.
Fubar II (Western Region; FU2 Productions Ltd.
Beat the World (Ontario & Nunavut Region; Btw Productions Inc.; Executive Producers: Alfons Adetuyi, Amos Adetuyi and Robert Adetuyi; Writer/Director: Robert Adetuyi; Distributor: E1 Films Canada Inc.; Telefilm investment: $3.2 million) takes a look at three dance crews - one Latin American, one European and one from Windsor, Ontario – as they prepare to do battle at the international Beat the World competition in Detroit. Along the way, they struggle with personal issues ranging from gambling debt, bad break-ups and their own egos. In the final showdown to become world champions lifelong hopes, dreams and even lives, are at stake.
Fubar II (Western Region; FU2 Productions Ltd.
- 12/5/2009
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
The WGA rolled out pickets on two coasts Monday after Sunday's last-ditch bargaining session failed to mark sufficient progress to prevent the first Hollywood writers strike in 19 years.
In Los Angeles, the WGA West's well-rehearsed strike captains marched out troops to populate picket lines at 14 studio and network sites starting at 9 a.m.
Film and TV scribe Christopher Knopf, one of the WGAW strike captains at Sony, said there were two main criteria in assigning members to picket at the various company locations throughout the L.A. area.
"One, it's where they live, and two, where they work," Knopf said.
Batches of about a few dozen pickets were broken down into at least three groups for posting at gates around Sony's Culver City lot. A few members of SAG, though still under contract to the studios, were on hand to help with picket duty.
"I'm just here to support the writers," film and TV actor John Dennis Johnston said. "We're all part of the creative team."
He noted that the guild's talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers ultimately broke down over terms for compensation of writers for new-media content.
"You do your work, and it lives forever, and you should be paid forever for it, including (residuals) on all the new technologies," Johnston said.
Screenwriter Rob Adetuyi (Stomp the Yard) said he was solidly in support of the strike action. "We're doing what we need to do", Adetuyi said.
Asked why Sunday's session ended in failure despite some clear shifts in previous positions by both parties, the WGA writer said he was supporting the strike based on his faith in guild leadership.
"Our negotiators were in the room and know the tone (of the eleventh-hour talks)," he said. "You have to trust your negotiators."
Jay Leno rode his motorcycle to a picket line at NBC in Burbank to pass out doughnuts to the strikers there. Down the street, the striking writers took to the main gates at Warner Bros., crossing traffic, shouting chants and waving their signs to passers-by. Picket coordinator Brian Hartt said he expected at least 300 writers, actors and other supporters to walk the picket lines at each of the main entrances throughout the day.
"I have no idea what (the AMPTP) is thinking," Hartt said. "From Day 1, it's been very confusing. I hope they realize we are serious about our future, and we'll stay out as long as we need in order to get a fair deal."
Added The New Adventures of Old Christine star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who joined the show's writers at Warner Gate 2: "As a member of another union, the Screen Actors Guild, I'm here to show my solidarity."...
In Los Angeles, the WGA West's well-rehearsed strike captains marched out troops to populate picket lines at 14 studio and network sites starting at 9 a.m.
Film and TV scribe Christopher Knopf, one of the WGAW strike captains at Sony, said there were two main criteria in assigning members to picket at the various company locations throughout the L.A. area.
"One, it's where they live, and two, where they work," Knopf said.
Batches of about a few dozen pickets were broken down into at least three groups for posting at gates around Sony's Culver City lot. A few members of SAG, though still under contract to the studios, were on hand to help with picket duty.
"I'm just here to support the writers," film and TV actor John Dennis Johnston said. "We're all part of the creative team."
He noted that the guild's talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers ultimately broke down over terms for compensation of writers for new-media content.
"You do your work, and it lives forever, and you should be paid forever for it, including (residuals) on all the new technologies," Johnston said.
Screenwriter Rob Adetuyi (Stomp the Yard) said he was solidly in support of the strike action. "We're doing what we need to do", Adetuyi said.
Asked why Sunday's session ended in failure despite some clear shifts in previous positions by both parties, the WGA writer said he was supporting the strike based on his faith in guild leadership.
"Our negotiators were in the room and know the tone (of the eleventh-hour talks)," he said. "You have to trust your negotiators."
Jay Leno rode his motorcycle to a picket line at NBC in Burbank to pass out doughnuts to the strikers there. Down the street, the striking writers took to the main gates at Warner Bros., crossing traffic, shouting chants and waving their signs to passers-by. Picket coordinator Brian Hartt said he expected at least 300 writers, actors and other supporters to walk the picket lines at each of the main entrances throughout the day.
"I have no idea what (the AMPTP) is thinking," Hartt said. "From Day 1, it's been very confusing. I hope they realize we are serious about our future, and we'll stay out as long as we need in order to get a fair deal."
Added The New Adventures of Old Christine star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who joined the show's writers at Warner Gate 2: "As a member of another union, the Screen Actors Guild, I'm here to show my solidarity."...
- 11/6/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Stomp the Yard".The best thing about "Stomp the Yard" is the opportunity the movie gives to talented actor-dancer Columbus Short to strut his stuff. He is no newcomer to show business. He has performed in Savion Glover's "Stomp", worked as a choreographer and acted in television. Yet as the central character in this musical melodrama about step dancing in black fraternities, Short displays an uncanny dramatic sensibility to go with the eye-catching athleticism of his dance moves.
Unfortunately, this will not be a widely seen performance. The Screen Gems production is aimed narrowly at those within the black community with an affinity for a particular kind of dancing. The film could do $20 million-range business but should fade after a couple of weeks, then perhaps win a larger audience in video.
The story centers on "stepping," a dance style with a strong connection to black fraternities. It relies on complex rhythms and moves that incorporate swift hand and foot movements and facial exaggerations. At times, it closely resembles such street dances as hip-hop and break dancing. In competitions, the dances are as fiercely aggressive, similar to rap showdowns with its macho posturing and intimidation.
DJ (Short) is your traditional youth from the wrong side of the tracks for the posh and polished Atlanta black university his mother sends him to after he gets out of prison for a bum rap. The fight that sent him to jail, after a competition in an underground Los Angeles club, also got his brother killed. So he makes a sullen and solitary figure on campus, sticking to his books and cutting the university lawn as part of a work-study program run by his no-nonsense uncle (Harry J. Lennix).
What shakes him out of his funk is glamorous co-ed April (Meagan Good), whom he falls for at first sight. Only she happens to be the girlfriend of Grant (Darrin Henson), the star dancer for a champion fraternity stepping team. So DJ joins a rival fraternity, run by the determined Sylvester (Brian White), to go up against the arrogant Grant and win his lady love.
The screenplay is by Robert Adetuyi, but a Writers Guild arbitration has determined his script is based on a screenplay by Gregory Anderson. Whoever is responsible, the story has an unerring instinct for cliches and rote characters as it sorts through a soap opera of class divisions, fraternity rivalries and sexual jealousy stretching back to the previous generation.
The role of DJ has only slightly more heft than the supporting roles, but Short smartly underplays his character's anger and frustrations so that his sensitivity emerges logically rather than becoming one of those miracle transformations that happen only in movies. DJ's self-centeredness, in fact, is a defense mechanism, probably even an intelligent one, in an environment that feels alien and often hostile.
One fortunate thing about "Stomp" is that for once, the black youth experience is played out in the world of fraternities and a university rather than of gangs and drugs. Nevertheless, at least according to this movie, the trash-talking and male chauvinism remain the same.
Director Sylvain White relies far too much on his commercial/music video background. Rapid cuts change camera angles in the blink of an eye, and dances speed up or slow down to suit his manipulative whims. Unfortunately, the one thing short filmmaking should have taught White -- that brevity is the soul of cinematic expression -- is ignored as the film drags on in a series of bad plot twists and false endings. Dave Scott's choreography is often dynamic and imaginative, but only a true fan is going to crave this much stepping.
Unfortunately, this will not be a widely seen performance. The Screen Gems production is aimed narrowly at those within the black community with an affinity for a particular kind of dancing. The film could do $20 million-range business but should fade after a couple of weeks, then perhaps win a larger audience in video.
The story centers on "stepping," a dance style with a strong connection to black fraternities. It relies on complex rhythms and moves that incorporate swift hand and foot movements and facial exaggerations. At times, it closely resembles such street dances as hip-hop and break dancing. In competitions, the dances are as fiercely aggressive, similar to rap showdowns with its macho posturing and intimidation.
DJ (Short) is your traditional youth from the wrong side of the tracks for the posh and polished Atlanta black university his mother sends him to after he gets out of prison for a bum rap. The fight that sent him to jail, after a competition in an underground Los Angeles club, also got his brother killed. So he makes a sullen and solitary figure on campus, sticking to his books and cutting the university lawn as part of a work-study program run by his no-nonsense uncle (Harry J. Lennix).
What shakes him out of his funk is glamorous co-ed April (Meagan Good), whom he falls for at first sight. Only she happens to be the girlfriend of Grant (Darrin Henson), the star dancer for a champion fraternity stepping team. So DJ joins a rival fraternity, run by the determined Sylvester (Brian White), to go up against the arrogant Grant and win his lady love.
The screenplay is by Robert Adetuyi, but a Writers Guild arbitration has determined his script is based on a screenplay by Gregory Anderson. Whoever is responsible, the story has an unerring instinct for cliches and rote characters as it sorts through a soap opera of class divisions, fraternity rivalries and sexual jealousy stretching back to the previous generation.
The role of DJ has only slightly more heft than the supporting roles, but Short smartly underplays his character's anger and frustrations so that his sensitivity emerges logically rather than becoming one of those miracle transformations that happen only in movies. DJ's self-centeredness, in fact, is a defense mechanism, probably even an intelligent one, in an environment that feels alien and often hostile.
One fortunate thing about "Stomp" is that for once, the black youth experience is played out in the world of fraternities and a university rather than of gangs and drugs. Nevertheless, at least according to this movie, the trash-talking and male chauvinism remain the same.
Director Sylvain White relies far too much on his commercial/music video background. Rapid cuts change camera angles in the blink of an eye, and dances speed up or slow down to suit his manipulative whims. Unfortunately, the one thing short filmmaking should have taught White -- that brevity is the soul of cinematic expression -- is ignored as the film drags on in a series of bad plot twists and false endings. Dave Scott's choreography is often dynamic and imaginative, but only a true fan is going to crave this much stepping.
The best thing about "Stomp the Yard" is the opportunity the movie gives to talented actor-dancer Columbus Short to strut his stuff. He is no newcomer to show business. He has performed in Savion Glover's "Stomp", worked as a choreographer and acted in television. Yet as the central character in this musical melodrama about step dancing in black fraternities, Short displays an uncanny dramatic sensibility to go with the eye-catching athleticism of his dance moves.
Unfortunately, this will not be a widely seen performance. The Screen Gems production is aimed narrowly at those within the black community with an affinity for a particular kind of dancing. The film could do $20 million-range business but should fade after a couple of weeks, then perhaps win a larger audience in video.
The story centers on "stepping," a dance style with a strong connection to black fraternities. It relies on complex rhythms and moves that incorporate swift hand and foot movements and facial exaggerations. At times, it closely resembles such street dances as hip-hop and break dancing. In competitions, the dances are as fiercely aggressive, similar to rap showdowns with its macho posturing and intimidation.
DJ (Short) is your traditional youth from the wrong side of the tracks for the posh and polished Atlanta black university his mother sends him to after he gets out of prison for a bum rap. The fight that sent him to jail, after a competition in an underground Los Angeles club, also got his brother killed. So he makes a sullen and solitary figure on campus, sticking to his books and cutting the university lawn as part of a work-study program run by his no-nonsense uncle (Harry J. Lennix).
What shakes him out of his funk is glamorous co-ed April (Meagan Good), whom he falls for at first sight. Only she happens to be the girlfriend of Grant (Darrin Henson), the star dancer for a champion fraternity stepping team. So DJ joins a rival fraternity, run by the determined Sylvester (Brian White), to go up against the arrogant Grant and win his lady love.
The screenplay is by Robert Adetuyi, but a Writers Guild arbitration has determined his script is based on a screenplay by Gregory Anderson. Whoever is responsible, the story has an unerring instinct for cliches and rote characters as it sorts through a soap opera of class divisions, fraternity rivalries and sexual jealousy stretching back to the previous generation.
The role of DJ has only slightly more heft than the supporting roles, but Short smartly underplays his character's anger and frustrations so that his sensitivity emerges logically rather than becoming one of those miracle transformations that happen only in movies. DJ's self-centeredness, in fact, is a defense mechanism, probably even an intelligent one, in an environment that feels alien and often hostile.
One fortunate thing about "Stomp" is that for once, the black youth experience is played out in the world of fraternities and a university rather than of gangs and drugs. Nevertheless, at least according to this movie, the trash-talking and male chauvinism remain the same.
Director Sylvain White relies far too much on his commercial/music video background. Rapid cuts change camera angles in the blink of an eye, and dances speed up or slow down to suit his manipulative whims. Unfortunately, the one thing short filmmaking should have taught White -- that brevity is the soul of cinematic expression -- is ignored as the film drags on in a series of bad plot twists and false endings. Dave Scott's choreography is often dynamic and imaginative, but only a true fan is going to crave this much stepping.
Unfortunately, this will not be a widely seen performance. The Screen Gems production is aimed narrowly at those within the black community with an affinity for a particular kind of dancing. The film could do $20 million-range business but should fade after a couple of weeks, then perhaps win a larger audience in video.
The story centers on "stepping," a dance style with a strong connection to black fraternities. It relies on complex rhythms and moves that incorporate swift hand and foot movements and facial exaggerations. At times, it closely resembles such street dances as hip-hop and break dancing. In competitions, the dances are as fiercely aggressive, similar to rap showdowns with its macho posturing and intimidation.
DJ (Short) is your traditional youth from the wrong side of the tracks for the posh and polished Atlanta black university his mother sends him to after he gets out of prison for a bum rap. The fight that sent him to jail, after a competition in an underground Los Angeles club, also got his brother killed. So he makes a sullen and solitary figure on campus, sticking to his books and cutting the university lawn as part of a work-study program run by his no-nonsense uncle (Harry J. Lennix).
What shakes him out of his funk is glamorous co-ed April (Meagan Good), whom he falls for at first sight. Only she happens to be the girlfriend of Grant (Darrin Henson), the star dancer for a champion fraternity stepping team. So DJ joins a rival fraternity, run by the determined Sylvester (Brian White), to go up against the arrogant Grant and win his lady love.
The screenplay is by Robert Adetuyi, but a Writers Guild arbitration has determined his script is based on a screenplay by Gregory Anderson. Whoever is responsible, the story has an unerring instinct for cliches and rote characters as it sorts through a soap opera of class divisions, fraternity rivalries and sexual jealousy stretching back to the previous generation.
The role of DJ has only slightly more heft than the supporting roles, but Short smartly underplays his character's anger and frustrations so that his sensitivity emerges logically rather than becoming one of those miracle transformations that happen only in movies. DJ's self-centeredness, in fact, is a defense mechanism, probably even an intelligent one, in an environment that feels alien and often hostile.
One fortunate thing about "Stomp" is that for once, the black youth experience is played out in the world of fraternities and a university rather than of gangs and drugs. Nevertheless, at least according to this movie, the trash-talking and male chauvinism remain the same.
Director Sylvain White relies far too much on his commercial/music video background. Rapid cuts change camera angles in the blink of an eye, and dances speed up or slow down to suit his manipulative whims. Unfortunately, the one thing short filmmaking should have taught White -- that brevity is the soul of cinematic expression -- is ignored as the film drags on in a series of bad plot twists and false endings. Dave Scott's choreography is often dynamic and imaginative, but only a true fan is going to crave this much stepping.
This review was written for the theatrical screening of "Code Name: The Cleaner"."Code Name: The Cleaner" borrows the gimmick of the successful thriller "The Bourne Identity" of an amnesia victim gradually realizing he might be an undercover agent and tailors this for the so-dumb-it's-almost-smart clowning of comic Cedric the Entertainer. A much better title would be "Bourne Yesterday". The clunky title New Line has burdened the comedy with can't help at the boxoffice, but Cedric the Entertainer fans won't mind. The film isn't exactly an outreach program for nonfans, but the suspense/thriller element should attract enough for a modestly successful payoff.
The movie, written by Robert Adetuyi and George Gallo and directed by Les Mayfield, hangs on a single quandary: Is its hero a superspy with dazzling skills or a janitor, to which most of the evidence points? The guy himself -- this would be Cedric -- is clueless when he wakes up in a high-rise hotel room with a nasty bump on the head, a dead FBI agent beside him in bed, a briefcase containing $250,000 in cash and no memory of anything, including his own identity. He is just smart enough to take the briefcase but leave the dead agent.
As police descend on the hotel, a statuesque blonde (Nicollette Sheridan) accosts him in the lobby and insists she is his wife. She drives him to "his" palatial mansion with its sports cars, butler and lingerie she insists on modeling for him, but somehow none of this fits his still-elusive identity. He escapes moments before she tries to drug him.
The guy then walks into a diner where an alluring waitress (Lucy Liu) claims to be his girlfriend. Whoever this guy is, he's doing OK in the woman department. Just as he is coming to believe from clues that he must be an undercover agent with the code name "The Cleaner", the waitress bursts his bubble by informing him that he works as a janitor for a video game manufacturer.
But what to make of his flashbacks to a war zone where he leads a company of Special Forces into combat and everyone calls him "Colonel"? Or the repressed memory of a payoff gone wrong? Or the fact that everyone in town wants him dead? No, the guy insists, he must be an agent with the clever cover of a janitor.
This implausible plot full of holes does pave the way for a series of Cedric the Entertainer skits and physical gags, like his posing as a member of a Dutch Dance Troupe, wooden shoes and all, to gain re-entry to the scene of the crime. None of these is very funny. A few are painfully unfunny. In either case, the movie comes to a standstill. It's a pity no one thought to screen old Bob Hope movies to see how to integrate comedy into genre filmmaking.
The filmmakers surround Cedric the Entertainer with a host of straight men, including martial artist/actor Mark Dacascos as the polished villain, Will Patton as a buddy who tells him to trust no one, Callum Keith Rennie as a crooked FBI agent and comedian DeRay Davis as a janitor-cum-rapper to act as a counterbalance to the star's humor. Liu and Sheridan give the film glamour, but their catfight falls flat. Niecy Nash has the movie's funniest line, which comes during outtakes shown at the end credits.
The behind-the-camera effort in Vancouver is surprisingly good.
The movie, written by Robert Adetuyi and George Gallo and directed by Les Mayfield, hangs on a single quandary: Is its hero a superspy with dazzling skills or a janitor, to which most of the evidence points? The guy himself -- this would be Cedric -- is clueless when he wakes up in a high-rise hotel room with a nasty bump on the head, a dead FBI agent beside him in bed, a briefcase containing $250,000 in cash and no memory of anything, including his own identity. He is just smart enough to take the briefcase but leave the dead agent.
As police descend on the hotel, a statuesque blonde (Nicollette Sheridan) accosts him in the lobby and insists she is his wife. She drives him to "his" palatial mansion with its sports cars, butler and lingerie she insists on modeling for him, but somehow none of this fits his still-elusive identity. He escapes moments before she tries to drug him.
The guy then walks into a diner where an alluring waitress (Lucy Liu) claims to be his girlfriend. Whoever this guy is, he's doing OK in the woman department. Just as he is coming to believe from clues that he must be an undercover agent with the code name "The Cleaner", the waitress bursts his bubble by informing him that he works as a janitor for a video game manufacturer.
But what to make of his flashbacks to a war zone where he leads a company of Special Forces into combat and everyone calls him "Colonel"? Or the repressed memory of a payoff gone wrong? Or the fact that everyone in town wants him dead? No, the guy insists, he must be an agent with the clever cover of a janitor.
This implausible plot full of holes does pave the way for a series of Cedric the Entertainer skits and physical gags, like his posing as a member of a Dutch Dance Troupe, wooden shoes and all, to gain re-entry to the scene of the crime. None of these is very funny. A few are painfully unfunny. In either case, the movie comes to a standstill. It's a pity no one thought to screen old Bob Hope movies to see how to integrate comedy into genre filmmaking.
The filmmakers surround Cedric the Entertainer with a host of straight men, including martial artist/actor Mark Dacascos as the polished villain, Will Patton as a buddy who tells him to trust no one, Callum Keith Rennie as a crooked FBI agent and comedian DeRay Davis as a janitor-cum-rapper to act as a counterbalance to the star's humor. Liu and Sheridan give the film glamour, but their catfight falls flat. Niecy Nash has the movie's funniest line, which comes during outtakes shown at the end credits.
The behind-the-camera effort in Vancouver is surprisingly good.
"Code Name: The Cleaner" borrows the gimmick of the successful thriller "The Bourne Identity" of an amnesia victim gradually realizing he might be an undercover agent and tailors this for the so-dumb-it's-almost-smart clowning of comic Cedric the Entertainer. A much better title would be "Bourne Yesterday". The clunky title New Line has burdened the comedy with can't help at the boxoffice, but Cedric the Entertainer fans won't mind. The film isn't exactly an outreach program for nonfans, but the suspense/thriller element should attract enough for a modestly successful payoff.
The movie, written by Robert Adetuyi and George Gallo and directed by Les Mayfield, hangs on a single quandary: Is its hero a superspy with dazzling skills or a janitor, to which most of the evidence points? The guy himself -- this would be Cedric -- is clueless when he wakes up in a high-rise hotel room with a nasty bump on the head, a dead FBI agent beside him in bed, a briefcase containing $250,000 in cash and no memory of anything, including his own identity. He is just smart enough to take the briefcase but leave the dead agent.
As police descend on the hotel, a statuesque blonde (Nicollette Sheridan) accosts him in the lobby and insists she is his wife. She drives him to "his" palatial mansion with its sports cars, butler and lingerie she insists on modeling for him, but somehow none of this fits his still-elusive identity. He escapes moments before she tries to drug him.
The guy then walks into a diner where an alluring waitress (Lucy Liu) claims to be his girlfriend. Whoever this guy is, he's doing OK in the woman department. Just as he is coming to believe from clues that he must be an undercover agent with the code name "The Cleaner", the waitress bursts his bubble by informing him that he works as a janitor for a video game manufacturer.
But what to make of his flashbacks to a war zone where he leads a company of Special Forces into combat and everyone calls him "Colonel"? Or the repressed memory of a payoff gone wrong? Or the fact that everyone in town wants him dead? No, the guy insists, he must be an agent with the clever cover of a janitor.
This implausible plot full of holes does pave the way for a series of Cedric the Entertainer skits and physical gags, like his posing as a member of a Dutch Dance Troupe, wooden shoes and all, to gain re-entry to the scene of the crime. None of these is very funny. A few are painfully unfunny. In either case, the movie comes to a standstill. It's a pity no one thought to screen old Bob Hope movies to see how to integrate comedy into genre filmmaking.
The filmmakers surround Cedric the Entertainer with a host of straight men, including martial artist/actor Mark Dacascos as the polished villain, Will Patton as a buddy who tells him to trust no one, Callum Keith Rennie as a crooked FBI agent and comedian DeRay Davis as a janitor-cum-rapper to act as a counterbalance to the star's humor. Liu and Sheridan give the film glamour, but their catfight falls flat. Niecy Nash has the movie's funniest line, which comes during outtakes shown at the end credits.
The behind-the-camera effort in Vancouver is surprisingly good.
The movie, written by Robert Adetuyi and George Gallo and directed by Les Mayfield, hangs on a single quandary: Is its hero a superspy with dazzling skills or a janitor, to which most of the evidence points? The guy himself -- this would be Cedric -- is clueless when he wakes up in a high-rise hotel room with a nasty bump on the head, a dead FBI agent beside him in bed, a briefcase containing $250,000 in cash and no memory of anything, including his own identity. He is just smart enough to take the briefcase but leave the dead agent.
As police descend on the hotel, a statuesque blonde (Nicollette Sheridan) accosts him in the lobby and insists she is his wife. She drives him to "his" palatial mansion with its sports cars, butler and lingerie she insists on modeling for him, but somehow none of this fits his still-elusive identity. He escapes moments before she tries to drug him.
The guy then walks into a diner where an alluring waitress (Lucy Liu) claims to be his girlfriend. Whoever this guy is, he's doing OK in the woman department. Just as he is coming to believe from clues that he must be an undercover agent with the code name "The Cleaner", the waitress bursts his bubble by informing him that he works as a janitor for a video game manufacturer.
But what to make of his flashbacks to a war zone where he leads a company of Special Forces into combat and everyone calls him "Colonel"? Or the repressed memory of a payoff gone wrong? Or the fact that everyone in town wants him dead? No, the guy insists, he must be an agent with the clever cover of a janitor.
This implausible plot full of holes does pave the way for a series of Cedric the Entertainer skits and physical gags, like his posing as a member of a Dutch Dance Troupe, wooden shoes and all, to gain re-entry to the scene of the crime. None of these is very funny. A few are painfully unfunny. In either case, the movie comes to a standstill. It's a pity no one thought to screen old Bob Hope movies to see how to integrate comedy into genre filmmaking.
The filmmakers surround Cedric the Entertainer with a host of straight men, including martial artist/actor Mark Dacascos as the polished villain, Will Patton as a buddy who tells him to trust no one, Callum Keith Rennie as a crooked FBI agent and comedian DeRay Davis as a janitor-cum-rapper to act as a counterbalance to the star's humor. Liu and Sheridan give the film glamour, but their catfight falls flat. Niecy Nash has the movie's funniest line, which comes during outtakes shown at the end credits.
The behind-the-camera effort in Vancouver is surprisingly good.
Cedric the Entertainer is in talks with New Line Cinema and Rat Entertainment to star as an amnesiac janitor in the action comedy "Traces". The project, based on a Robert Adetuyi script that the studio acquired in 2001, centers on a software custodian who wakes up after a car accident and suffers from memory loss. What's locked inside his head could actually save his life as he races to identify himself and the people who are after him.
- 10/28/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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